“Hey, innkeeper. I want to take this one. Who’s the employer?”
“Let’s see…”
At that moment, Eugenia, who had been deep in thought, was pulled back into reality.
She hurriedly put down the wanted posters she had been flipping through.
She quickly hid her own poster at the bottom where it wouldn’t be easily seen, as usual.
She had considered just taking it, but ended up deciding against it.
‘It’s probably already posted in other places anyway.’
So she figured it was better to just leave it as it was.
‘I need to get out of here as soon as possible.’
Just as she was about to turn away after organizing the papers, one of the wanted posters caught her eye.
It was decorated with flashy, oversized text, far more eye-catching than hers.
[WANTED – REWARD]
Sigel Harland
1,000 gold
Dead or alive.
If dead, a severed head must be presented.
In the Harland Principality, was there anyone who didn’t know the name Sigel Harland?
Eugenia was no exception.
In a voice barely louder than a whisper, she murmured to herself,
“You escaped, didn’t you?”
Unlike her and the other criminals, his poster included a highly detailed sketch.
That meant he was someone they must catch.
Eugenia studied Sigel’s face for a moment, then turned away with a quiet sigh.
‘The situation is unstable… I really need to leave soon.’
It was already too late to back out now.
So how should she escape?
Troubled, she turned toward the shabby old inn when her steps suddenly stopped.
“I’ll go buy some candy, okay?”
She remembered the promise she made to Selmia earlier that morning.
She knew full well there were more important things right now. But still…
“I don’t want to see her disappointed face.”
Letting out a soft, resigned chuckle, Eugenia turned in the opposite direction.
“I saw the candy vendor earlier… I wonder if he’s already gone.”
She began walking through the drizzle.
Unbeknownst to her, someone followed behind, as silently as a shadow.
Meanwhile…
“Damn it, what’s with this sudden downpour?”
As the rain intensified, everyone in the job agency cleared out like the receding tide.
Apparently, someone had left without closing the door properly, and the rain had started blowing in, soaking the wooden floor.
The innkeeper, who had been lounging, hoping the rain would stop soon, stood up irritably when he realized it wasn’t going to end quickly.
He went to the storage room, grabbed a mop, and closed the door.
With disinterested movements, he sloshed the water around more than he cleaned it up.
Ding!
The door creaked open.
Without turning around, the innkeeper shouted irritably,
“Hey! Shut the door properly! Rain’s pouring in!”
No reply came from the other party.
Step, step. Heavy footsteps drew closer.
They were coming straight toward him.
The innkeeper’s mopping slowed, then stopped.
Though the sound of shoes ceased, the long shadows of two men stretched out before him.
Realizing the visitors were there to see him, the innkeeper slowly turned.
Two tall men—at least a head taller than most—loomed over him, their presence intimidating.
“What do you want?” the innkeeper asked, trying to appear unfazed.
Water dripped steadily from the hoods of the men’s soaked cloaks.
“We’re looking for someone,” one of them said in a cold, low voice.
The innkeeper instinctively shrank back, but forced himself to speak boldly.
“We only do background checks here. If you’re looking for someone, go two blocks over.”
But the men didn’t budge.
“We’re looking for someone who came here through your agency for an interview.”
“You know how many people that could be?”
The innkeeper grumbled, and Alberi pulled off his hood in one swift motion.
“Do you remember this face?”
The innkeeper squinted, peering at Alberi’s face—then his eyes widened.
“Oh! It’s you guys! Of course I remember! I never forget a customer who pays well!”
Thinking he might score another commission, the innkeeper put on his best friendly tone.
But instead of a new job offer, he got an odd question.
“That woman you sent to us this morning.”
“Oh, her?”
Fortunately, the innkeeper remembered Eugenia.
Alberi felt a flicker of hope. Maybe this would go smoothly.
But that hope dropped like an apple falling off a cliff.
“Sorry about that… but she’s not one of ours.”
“She’s not… on the list?” Alberi’s face twisted.
“First time I’ve seen her. Looked like she was just looking for a short-term gig—probably not local.”
“Damn…”
Both men let out a sigh at the same time.
Alberi looked more frustrated.
How were they supposed to find her now? Maybe this really wasn’t meant to be. His mind churned with anxious thoughts.
Alberi snapped at Enrique in a harsh whisper.
“This is what I said—if we’d gone a bit earlier instead of arguing…!”
“And now you’re blaming me?” Enrique retorted, exasperated.
“Whose fault do you think it is then?”
As the two men bickered, the innkeeper hesitantly spoke up.
“Actually… I think that woman was here just a little while ago.”
Alberi turned to him, eyes wide.
“Are you serious?”
“Y-Yeah. Didn’t look too closely since I was busy, but I think it was her. Not many women come in here. Even if she’s wearing a cloak, her build gives her away. Thought maybe you’d already fired her like last time, so I didn’t think much of it.”
“So? Did she take a new job?”
“No, she just stared at the bulletin board for a while, then left.”
That meant there was a high chance Eugenia would come back tomorrow.
“She’ll return,” Enrique said with a nod—just as the innkeeper added,
“She hasn’t been gone long. Maybe ten minutes?”
Alberi and Enrique exchanged a glance.
Maybe they wouldn’t have to wait until tomorrow. They might still catch her nearby.
“Got it. Thanks for the tip,” Enrique said casually.
He and Alberi exchanged a subtle nod, then left the agency without another word.
“Hmm. Now which way did she go?”
There were three roads in front of the agency.
They had come from the middle one and hadn’t seen Eugenia.
Enrique quickly gave instructions.
“You circle around the left. I’ll take this side.”
“Understood.”
The two men split up.
“Are you sure it’s okay to give me this much?”
Eugenia asked as she accepted the hefty envelope, sounding a bit concerned.
It was bulging at the seams.
The candy vendor had given her far more than what she’d paid for.
“You’re going to take a loss at this rate.”
The vendor waved his hand and laughed heartily.
“Nah, you helped me out. I almost had to throw all these away. Better to give them to someone than waste ’em.”
Because the candies were dusted with powdered sugar, even a little moisture would ruin them. That’s why he was giving her such a generous bonus.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy them.”
“Get home safe!”
Waved off by the candy vendor, Eugenia turned to leave.
She tucked the paper bag inside her robe—if it got wet, the sugar would melt and turn everything sticky.
“At least I managed to get the candy.”
It was lucky she’d run into the vendor just as he was about to pack up.
Lost in thought as she walked, her left foot suddenly sank into a puddle.
“Ugh! Gross.”
She quickly lifted her foot and gave it a shake.
The rain was getting heavier.
Even though she had a robe pulled over her, it wasn’t an umbrella. Water was starting to soak through.
“If I’m not careful, even the candy will get wet. I need to hurry.”
Eugenia quickened her pace.
Perhaps everyone had realized the rain wouldn’t let up, because the once-busy street was now deserted.
“Ugh… why does it feel so eerie?”
Eugenia shivered slightly and picked up her pace again.
Then—
Splish.
She heard the sound of someone stepping into a puddle behind her.
Why?
She couldn’t explain it, but she instinctively felt uneasy.
It wasn’t like she owned the street. Anyone could walk here.
She reminded herself of that logically…
But something—some primal instinct—kept sounding alarms in her head.
‘Come to think of it… this really is strange.’
